Kenpachi Yūrei
Kenpachi Yūrei (ケンパチユレイ, Yuurei Kenpachi) is a Shinigami and the current Captain of the 11th Division, as well as the twelfth being to hold the rank of "Kenpachi" after the death of the previous holder, Kenpachi Zaraki. Her Vice Captain is Kain Kuromiya. Personality If Kenpachi Zaraki commanded the Eleventh Division through respect and admiration, Kenpachi Yūrei rules them through fear and uncertainty. She is cold and aloof towards her subordinates and superiors alike, rarely speaking to them unless it is required, and even then, her sentences are very short and blunt. Her Division members find it hard to approach her for anything, as she is noted to have an incredibly uncomfortable aura about her, and many even go as far as to claim that she is a demon that not even Hell itself could stomach imprisoning. During training, Yūrei has her Division members focus less on technique, and more on killing intent, something that throws many of her subordinates off. In Yūrei's mind, as the Eleventh Division is regarded as the "brawlers" of the Gotei 13, they should also be the most lethal, and that savoring sword fights is both useless and dangerously careless. She does not want those within her Division to simply be fighters; she wants them to be killers. The reality of Yūrei's nature and thought process are far less sinister than her subordinates believe, however. In truth, Yūrei is actually very caring and considerate of her allies and subordinates, often referring to those in the latter camp as her very own sons and daughters. She believes that, as Shinigami, death is a vital part of their existence, and that for a Shinigami to avoid or circumvent their role as Gods of Death is highly sinful. She does understand that her subordinates are not used to such a mindset, however, and believes that she is righteous in guiding them and educating them in her ways. She is surprisingly open-minded, however, and will usually hear out any subordinates that openly challenge her views. Despite this, she often puts these disagreements up to a sparring match between herself and whoever challenges her, stating that ones ideals are channeled through their sword, and the stronger the sword, the stronger the ideal. She often breaks her opponent's sword during these sparring matches to illustrate her point. In spite of her usual demeanor and ideals, Yūrei is not above more earthly pursuits and has several hobbies and habits many would find surprising. For one, she is a heavy drinker, and carries a sake jug with her at all times, yet rarely does she actually become drunk. She is also very adept at wood-carving, and spends much of her free time carving small Buddha statues out in the wilderness. She will sometimes also carve out small doll heads that she hooks to her belts and sashes, wearing them into battle to frighten and unsettle her opponents. History Prior to becoming the Captain of the 11th Division, Yūrei was a prisoner within the Central Great Underground Prison in Soul Society, having been placed within the 6th level for numerous murders she had committed over the course of her life. Powers and Abilities Great Spiritual Pressure: Befitting her status as a Gotei 13 Captain, Yūrei boasts a great deal of Spiritual Pressure. While not nearly as potent or noticeable as her predecessor's, Yūrei's Spiritual Presence is unmistakable to her allies, and terrifying to her enemies. A crimson red in coloration, her Spiritual Energy is cold and dense, filling her immediate area with an inescapable sense of dread and fear. The smell of blood radiates all around her, and not even her allies can stand being on the same playing field as her. Immense Strength: While her appearance might already make this obvious, Yūrei's physical strength is downright inhuman, even by Shinigami standards. For many of her fights, she rarely has to resort to using her Zanpakutō, for her raw strength usually dwarfs that of her opponent's by a wide margin. Even while wielding her weapon, her power becomes all too apparent, for no ordinary Shinigami could do battle as gracefully and as seamlessly as she can with such a brutish axe and make it look so effortless. Adept Kidō User: One of Yūrei's most defining traits, and one that distinguishes her from many Kenpachi who have come before her, is her skill in the use of Kidō spells. Kidō is an art that the Eleventh Division usually frowns upon, but from Yūrei's perspective, such a mindset is both primitive and short-sighted; she believes that Kidō exists to benefit sword combat, not detract from it. In particular, Yūrei is very adept in the use of Bakudō spells, often using multiple ones to immobilize her opponents and thus allowing her to land a deadly blow with little to no resistance. Great Endurance: Yūrei has demonstrated a remarkable level of endurance, being capable of fighting for several hours at a time with no signs of strain or exhaustion. Potent Durability: In addition to her seemingly endless supply of stamina, Yūrei also has a very high tolerance for pain, and is capable of withstanding wounds that would normally incapacitate other warriors. It has often been noted that she rarely even pays any attention to wounds that she sustains and continues fighting as if she were completely unharmed, which just makes her all the more terrifying for her allies and enemies alike. Hakuda Expert: Another interesting facet of Yūrei's skillset is her knowledge and application of Hakuda in battle. In addition to knowing standard forms of martial arts combat, Yūrei most prominent use of Hakuda is in conjunction with her Zanpakutō, primarily it's first release state. She often combines her axe swings with acrobatic kicks, sweeping her opponent's legs out from under them or kicking the sides of their head in order to stun them and land a decisive blow. Skilled Tactician: Yūrei is also highly intelligent, favoring more tactical and strategic movements in battle, rather than the straight forward and brutish methods of her predecessors. Zanpakutō Hitokiri (人斬り, Man-Slayer): In its sealed form, Hitokiri resembles a standard katana with a maroon colored handle and diamond shaped tsuba. *'Shikai': Hitokiri's Release Command is Consume (消費する, Shōhi Suru). After the command has been stated, blood begins to pour out from several points on Hitokiri's blade, while a dense fog seeps out of it's pommel. Yūrei then spins herself around full circle, spreading blood and fog all around her, and as she comes around to aim her sword back at her opponent, Hitokiri's transformation completes. Hitokiri now resembles a large, double-headed Masakari Axe with a firm wooden and metal handle. The axe itself is very ornate, having several jagged edges and carved on both of it's flat ends are depictions of a white spirit and a red devil. Finally, the axe has a round, dense metal pommel. :Shikai Special Ability: Hitokiri is a very potent melee-type Zanpakutō that not only boasts incredible cutting power, but a great wealth of other abilities that give Yūrei several advantages in combat. Many of these abilities utilize dense fog and mist, leading many to initially believe that it is a wind-type Zanpakutō. However, several of it's abilities utilize blood as well, causing some to simply refer to it as simply a "Murderous" Zanpakutō. :*'"Saku"' (裂く, Saku; Japanese for "Lacerate"): Hitokiri's signature ability, Yūrei swings her axe and releases a visible arc of cutting wind towards her opponent. This wave is not only notable for it's stopping power, but it is also noted for the severe amount of cuts and lacerations that appear on the opponent's body after it passes through them, causing them to lose a great amount of blood as a result. :*'Deadly Darts' (デッドリー・ダーツ, Deddorī Dātsu): A surprise feature of Hitokiri that usually throws her opponents off guard, the head of Hitokiri's axe is actually attached to a long chain within it's shaft which, when detached, allows Yūrei to use Hitokiri as a makeshift flail. Her primary means of utilizing this ability is to "shoot" Hitokiri's axe head at the opponent, firing it at the opponent from a fair distance to stun them before resuming her usual assault. *'Bankai': Chikage Hitokiri '(チカゲ人斬り, ''Blood Shadow Manslayer): The nature and function of '''Chikage Hitorkiri is unknown. Witness accounts state that, upon release, her Bankai creates a massive and dense cloud of fog that covers a radius of nearly two whole miles all around it. Because of this, no one was able to see what her Bankai looked like or was capable of. Trivia *Her theme is "Sakura " from the For Honor Season 10 soundtrack. *This character's appearance and powers are all based on the "Hitokiri," a class from the popular fighting game For Honor of which this character's Zanpakutō shares a name with. *Credit for all pictures on this article goes to IFrAgMenTIx on Deviant Art. You can find their page here: https://www.deviantart.com/ifragmentix